Tension arose at an Irricana Town council meeting on Jan. 17, culminating with a call to RCMP by a member of council to have a gallery member removed.
A live-streamed recording of the council meeting – the first meeting held in-person since the October 2021 election – shows the tense atmosphere began early on, during Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Barrie Hutchinson's report. Hutchinson's recap included mention of a recent contract bid for repairs to the floors in Irricana's community hall.
Coun. Ton van Arendonk asked if the three companies that bid on the project could be listed in the meeting minutes, as one of the companies is where Irricana's mayor, Frank Friesen, is the manager.
Coun. Kim Schmaltz said he didn't feel the bidding companies' names needed to be made public, as the Municipal Government Act only requires dollar amounts to be publicized.
"We have a bylaw that requests three quotes. Anything over $5,000, the CAO has to report it," Schmaltz said. "I don't see why the public has to see the quotes. I'm sure the CAO and administration [are] doing their jobs."
That led to a few gallery members protesting, including Irricana resident Dominic Kirchner, who stood up to address council.
"You work for us," he said repeatedly, addressing council. "Do you understand that?"
After the situation cooled, the meeting continued with a discussion related to cheque listings.
Van Arendonk once again had questions, asking Hutchinson why his expense claim for a trip to a municipal governance training event at the end of December was $248, while he, Couns. Lisa McAree, and Debbie Day all attended the same event, yet only claimed $110 each for mileage. Hutchinson replied his mileage claim was for two days, and that if van Arendonk had further questions, he could see him in his office about it.
Following that, Kirchner stood up from his seat and approached the council members' table. He brought up how Couns. Day and McAree car-pooled to the training event together, and asked if they both claimed mileage.
He asked Day if she submitted expenses for the trip, and claimed he had "proof otherwise" when she replied she did not.
Interjecting, van Arendonk noted that Day's mileage claim of $110 was "in the minutes." She replied that she had returned it.
"My gas gauge never moved," she said.
Later, toward the end of the meeting, council moved in-camera.
Reached after the meeting, Mayor Friesen said Kirchner did not leave at the point council moved in camera, which led to one of the council members phoning RCMP. He declined to say who from the Town made the call.
Kirchner, who ran in last year's election, later said in an email to the Rocky View Weekly that he was upset by what he felt was a lack of transparency in council members' answers to the questions posed by van Arendonk and the public.
"During the meeting, some questions were asked by rate-payers which were deflected, ignored entirely, or [we were] simply informed that 'There is no need to share information,'" he said.
"I stood because that's just how I address a room. I'm not much of a sitter, especially when I'm told to."
Kirchner said he was called by an RCMP constable the following day, who told him his verbiage was perceived by one of the councillors as being aggressive or threatening.
"I'm unable [to] elaborate further at this time," he said.
Hutchinson declined to comment after the meeting. Another council member said they did not want to comment, as they are not the spokesperson for Town council.
Airdrie RCMP Media Relations Officer Cst. Gina Slaney confirmed Jan. 20 that RCMP had attended to the meeting in Irricana that evening, but did not say what prompted the response.
“The matter had already been resolved prior to our arrival," she said in an email.
Friesen added he wanted to apologize to Irricana residents for how the meeting played out.
"This is not how normal council meetings are run," he said.
